Active Topics

 


Page 1 of 2 1 2
Reply
Thread Tools
dylanemcgregor is offline dylanemcgregor
2008-05-26 , 17:45
Posts: 225 | Thanked: 81 times | Joined on Apr 2008
#1
I got an N800 a couple of weeks ago. Overall I really like it, but I have a few questions that searching hasn't answered, or has given me only piecemeal answers to.

1) The idea of wifi is great. I'm in NYC and there is almost always a unsecure wireless access point around...but so far I've had problems connecting to these even if the signal strength looks really strong. Sometimes my laptop will be able to see the signal and connect fine, but the N800 gives me a "connection error." It also happens a lot that the N800 sees quite a few more networks than my laptop, but can't actually connect to them. So far I've only been able to get it to connect to the WiFi at home and at work. Are there configuration settings for the wireless that I should be looking into?

2) Since wifi hasn't been real reliable I've thought about trying to get a 3G connection, but I don't have a phone with Bluetooth (and don't really want to use a phone as a connection point). Is there any other way to get mobile broadband on the device (USB 3G modem or something)? I think the answer to this is no, but wanted to double check that I'm not missing something.

3)I'd also like to have downloaded street level maps available offline for the entire US and Canada. On my PC, MapPoint takes less than 1GB of HD space for the entire program. I'm basically looking for this level of functionality on my N800, but the maps for MaemoMapper seem to take a lot more space and be organized around using with GPS.

4)Is there a way to add copy and paste to the context menu of programs. I use this a lot to copy data from one application to another. It would be nice to not have to go to the edit menu all the time.

5)Anyone know when we should start seeing 32GB SDHC cards? I see PR from January showing that they should be out in April...but nothing since then. I want to see if the 16GB cards start to drop a bit more quickly in price once the 32GB cards are out.

Thanks for the help as always. This is a great community and is one of the main reasons I decided to pick up my N800.

Dylan
Last edited by dylanemcgregor; 2008-05-26 at 18:28.
 
baksiidaa is offline baksiidaa
2008-05-26 , 18:39
Posts: 183 | Thanked: 115 times | Joined on Nov 2007 @ Seattle, WA
#2
1) The idea of wifi is great. I'm in NYC and there is almost always a unsecure wireless access point around...but so far I've had problems connecting to these even if the signal strength looks really strong. Sometimes my laptop will be able to see the signal and connect fine, but the N800 gives me a "connection error." It also happens a lot that the N800 sees quite a few more networks than my laptop, but can't actually connect to them. So far I've only been able to get it to connect to the WiFi at home and at work. Are there configuration settings for the wireless that I should be looking into?
If you can't connect to an "open" wifi connection it may be because the router is using MAC filtering.
 
deeteroderdas's Avatar
deeteroderdas is offline deeteroderdas
2008-05-26 , 18:40
Posts: 274 | Thanked: 62 times | Joined on Jul 2007 @ Helotes, TX
#3
Originally Posted by dylanemcgregor View Post
I got an N800 a couple of weeks ago. Overall I really like it, but I have a few questions that searching hasn't answered, or has given me only piecemeal answers to.
I'll give it a shot. My answers are after your questions.

1) The idea of wifi is great. I'm in NYC and there is almost always a unsecured wireless access point around...but so far I've had problems connecting to these even if the signal strength looks really strong. Sometimes my laptop will be able to see the signal and connect fine, but the N800 gives me a "connection error." It also happens a lot that the N800 sees quite a few more networks than my laptop, but can't actually connect to them. So far I've only been able to get it to connect to the WiFi at home and at work. Are there configuration settings for the wireless that I should be looking into?
Some of those wifi connections are really 'fake wifi'. I don't really understand the whole deal, not being a windows guy, but there's something in the WinXP wireless driver that makes it act as an access point when it can't find an access point itself. Other seemingly open wifi points are secured by only allowing certain MAC addresses.

The NITs are pretty versatile (as you've seen) where it comes to wifi connections.. If it's possible to connect, it will.


2) Since wifi hasn't been real reliable I've thought about trying to get a 3G connection, but I don't have a phone with Bluetooth (and don't really want to use a phone as a connection point). Is there any other way to get mobile broadband on the device (USB 3G modem or something)? I think the answer to this is no, but wanted to double check that I'm not missing something.
I haven't seen any such animal, however, I did just hear a Verizen Wireless commercial advertising a USB data connector for their service. Myself, I tether through my 3g AT&T phone with no problems.

[quote]3)I'd also like to have downloaded street level maps available offline for the entire US and Canada. On my PC, MapPoint takes less than 1GB of HD space for the entire program. I'm basically looking for this level of functionality on my N800, but the maps for MaemoMapper seem to take a lot more space and be organized around using with GPS.

OS2008 comes with a map program from Wayfinder. The program and maps are free to use; you pay a yearly fee for direction service. Maemo
Mapper downloads map images from for example Google, Yahoo, etc. Wayfinder maps are all vector (??) maps.

4)Is there a way to add copy and paste to the context menu of programs. I use this a lot to copy data from one application to another. It would be nice to not have to go to the edit menu all the time.
C&P takes some getting used to on the NIT. I've found that if you can highlight it, you can probably copy it. Once you have your text highlighted, just tap and hold. A circling arrow should appear, fcllowed a few seconds later by a 'right menu'. Copy should be available.

If you are in an area where the screen keyboard appears, the C&P options are available in the menu on the lower left (OS2008).


Thanks for the help as always. This is a great community and is one of the main reasons I decided to pick up my N800.

Dylan
Hope I helped...BTW, I typed all this on my N800, tethered to my phone.
__________________
Mitch Thompson, Helotes, TX USA
N800|2x 16GB SDHC|PDAir case|i737 BT GPS

"There are two major products that come out of Berkeley: LSD and BSD. We don't believe this to be a coincidence. " - Jeremy S. Anderson
 
krisse's Avatar
krisse is offline krisse
2008-05-26 , 18:41
Posts: 1,540 | Thanked: 1,045 times | Joined on Feb 2007
#4
Originally Posted by dylanemcgregor View Post
1) The idea of wifi is great. I'm in NYC and there is almost always a unsecure wireless access point around...but so far I've had problems connecting to these even if the signal strength looks really strong. Sometimes my laptop will be able to see the signal and connect fine, but the N800 gives me a "connection error." It also happens a lot that the N800 sees quite a few more networks than my laptop, but can't actually connect to them. So far I've only been able to get it to connect to the WiFi at home and at work. Are there configuration settings for the wireless that I should be looking into?
Public Wi-Fi hotspots are sometimes more complicated to log into than your own one, because they may have more hoops that you have to jump through before they allow a connection.

Some of them make you go through a web page before accessing the connection, I'm not 100% sure how this works on the tablets as I haven't used such a hotspot.

Some of the connections you see may not be to the internet but ad hoc connections to other Wi-Fi devices, in which case there's no point in connecting to them.

Other connections may look open but require some other form of verification to actually use them to look at the internet.


2) Since wifi hasn't been real reliable I've thought about trying to get a 3G connection, but I don't have a phone with Bluetooth (and don't really want to use a phone as a connection point). Is there any other way to get mobile broadband on the device (USB 3G modem or something)? I think the answer to this is no, but wanted to double check that I'm not missing something.
If you want to get mobile internet access, is there any particular reason why you don't want to use a phone?

There are 3G modems but I personally can't see any reason to choose one over a phone as it makes no difference to the connection. The modem or phone would be in your pocket or bag anyway, so it's not like anyone would see you using a phone.

You don't have to buy a phone from a phone network operator, if that's what annoys you.


3)I'd also like to have downloaded street level maps available offline for the entire US and Canada. On my PC, MapPoint takes less than 1GB of HD space for the entire program. I'm basically looking for this level of functionality on my N800, but the maps for MaemoMapper seem to take a lot more space and be organized around using with GPS.
I can't help on this one, sorry!


4)Is there a way to add copy and paste to the context menu of programs. I use this a lot to copy data from one application to another. It would be nice to not have to go to the edit menu all the time.
The on-screen keyboard has an icon that looks like a white piece of paper with lines on it. If you click on that it contains cut, copy paste. The larger on-screen keyboard has the same icon. That icon also lets you change dictionary language if you're using multiple languages.

If you want to highlight text in websites by the way, you can do it by clicking twice very quickly and holding down the stylus on the second click.


5)Anyone know when we should start seeing 32GB SDHC cards? I see PR from January showing that they should be out in April...but nothing since then. I want to see if the 16GB cards start to drop a bit more quickly in price once the 32GB cards are out.
Oooh, don't know about that one yet, but as you say it's always worth waiting for price drops because flash prices drop faster than practically anything else in the electronics world.
 
joepagiii's Avatar
joepagiii is offline joepagiii
2008-05-26 , 18:44
Posts: 449 | Thanked: 51 times | Joined on Apr 2008 @ eastern north carolina usa
#5
krisse you answered one of my too afraid to ask questions....thanks
The on-screen keyboard has an icon that looks like a white piece of paper with lines on it. If you click on that it contains cut, copy paste. The larger on-screen keyboard has the same icon. That icon also lets you change dictionary language if you're using multiple languages.
__________________
no longer here...leave me a pm......meeep....
 
gemniii42 is offline gemniii42
2008-05-26 , 19:18
Posts: 833 | Thanked: 124 times | Joined on Nov 2007 @ Based in the USA
#6
Originally Posted by dylanemcgregor View Post
<snip>
2) Since wifi hasn't been real reliable I've thought about trying to get a 3G connection, but I don't have a phone with Bluetooth (and don't really want to use a phone as a connection point). Is there any other way to get mobile broadband on the device (USB 3G modem or something)? I think the answer to this is no, but wanted to double check that I'm not missing something.
<snip>
Try to search the forum with Google, there was a thread a few months ago pointing to a device which basically was a wireless modem in a briefcase.
__________________
N810, iGo bt kb, Diablo, 10Gb storage onboard instead of a Thinkpad
OTG w/ unlimited storage!!
Put a penguin in your pocket!!
PLEASE use the Wiki
 
dylanemcgregor is offline dylanemcgregor
2008-05-26 , 21:02
Posts: 225 | Thanked: 81 times | Joined on Apr 2008
#7
Thanks all, a couple of responses to the questions.

1) Regarding the wifi signals. I was originally confused by the adhoc networks, but if I understand correctly they are designated by a single dot, while the real access points have two dots on the icon?

I've had at least some trouble with access points that my laptop can connect to without any sort of browser authentication required (and I don't think that the networks are using any Mac filtering). First time was at a hotel I was staying at when I first got the N800, and then another is an open network in my building. Shouldn't be any MAC filtering on either of these networks. Not really a big deal, but just wondering.

Another side question: When I do try to connect to a network I usually have 10 or more wifi connections in range. Trying to scroll down to the bottom of the list and select an open connection is almost impossible, because the list keeps refreshing and dropping me back in at the top. Anyone else have this problem?

For a wireless 3G connection I was hoping for something smaller, along the lines of a the wireless PC cards they have from Verizon. I'd prefer not to have a phone because.

1) I already have a phone that I like that doesn't have bluetooth.
2) If my existing phone did have bluetooth, then I would just wear out both batteries at the same time.
3) I can get another phone and just use for a data connection, but then I have to carry around two phones and the N800...plus all the other junk I have in my pockets. I'm feeling loaded down already.

Again, not really a big deal as I didn't get an NIT for internet use. It is probably better this way, as I find I get much greater battery life if I leave it in offline mode.

Thanks for the info about the copy/paste menu on the keyboard. I'd tried from the contect menu by clicking and holding, but at least in Notes there didn't seem to be the option available from there. The keyboard route should be faster also.
 
MstPrgmr is offline MstPrgmr
2008-05-26 , 21:11
Posts: 118 | Thanked: 16 times | Joined on Sep 2007
#8
Ad hoc signals have 1 dot on top of them, wifi signals have no dots. Also, although a wireless network may appear to be "open" many are not. You can connect to the signal, but you only get internet access once you login from a webpage with your (paid) username and password. This is how they do it because if you have millions of people trying to log in you need a unique way to identify them. They cannot just put a single password on their network, so they leave it open and force people to login using their unique username and password.
 
dylanemcgregor is offline dylanemcgregor
2008-05-26 , 21:20
Posts: 225 | Thanked: 81 times | Joined on Apr 2008
#9
Thanks, but I can both connect and browse fine with my laptop, no browser authentication of any type required as far as I could tell. On the N800 most of the time it won't even appear to connect. I will select the connection, it will try to connect for 30 seconds or so, and then come back with a "Connection error. Try again?"

For the hotel I was staying in it the N800 said it was connected, but no pages would load when I tried to browse. I asked the hotel staff if there was any authentication or system requirements for connecting, and they said no, and again my laptop connected and browsed with no issues and no authentication.

Thanks for the info on the ad hoc icons.
 
nhanquy is offline nhanquy
2008-05-27 , 16:45
Posts: 678 | Thanked: 197 times | Joined on Jul 2007 @ San Jose CA
#10
So far I have no problem with my N800 connecting through Wifi. If my laptop can connect so can my N800. You might have a problem with software conflicts which I had once, but it disappeared after I installed the new OS. Why don't you try to install the latest OS to see if it improves or not.
 
Reply
Page 1 of 2 1 2

« Previous Thread | Next Thread »

 
Forum Jump


All times are GMT. The time now is 17:31.

Contact Us - Home - Archive - Top